Gigabyte X11 pictures and hands-on

Gigabyte has unveiled the Gigabyte X11, a new extremely light Ultrabook that weights just 975g, and Pocket-lint was at the launch to have a quick play with the lighter than light model.

The headline feature is its svelte 975g weight, although the model on display at the launch event in Taipei weighed an even lighter 973g - that's 107g lighter than the MacBook Air, if you were wondering. As we had already predicted, the X11 will use Intel’s latest Ivy Bridge processors for Ultrabooks, although Gigabyte has as yet to unveil which processors the X11 will be available with.

Other features include a 128GB mSATA SSD, 4GB of DDR3 memory, although there’s no option to expand this because the memory chips are soldered on to the motherboard.

Gigabyte has also included Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, a single USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, a mini DisplayPort, a D-sub connector, a microSD card slot, a combined headset jack and a 1.3Megapixel webcam.

The battery is rated at 35Wh, although Gigabyte didn’t specify how long they expected it to last. The X11 measures 297x192x3-16.5mm (WxDxH) and it’s amazingly light. Unlike the press pictures, the touchpad and screen bezel don't feature the carbon fibre pattern, but they’re at least matte rather than glossy. The X11 will come in a carbon fibre look as well as plain black for those looking for something a bit more discreet. Price-wise the X11 will cost between US$999 and US$1,299, depending on the CPU.

First impression is that of a well-built Ultrabook with a decent keyboard and a large, easy-to-use trackpad, but with a disappointing screen considering the price bracket.

Surprisingly it doesn't feel flimsy, with the carbon fibre shell feeling solid in our play, and the finish gives it a stylish look - well, apart from all the screws.

According to Gigabyte the new laptop takes inspiration "from the exhausts of super cars" It says: "The GIGABYTE R&D team has developed the dual air vent design that efficiently exports the heat of the laptop, and also makes cooling even more efficient with its application of aluminium materials. X11 therefore has a cool and smooth operation just like a sports car."

Admittedly it’s a big step up from previous notebooks from Gigabyte, but it’s going to be tough to compete with the more established notebook markers that are offering higher resolution displays in only slightly heavier Ultrabooks.